RI: Demonstrators protest high-cost of diesel oil

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Demonstrators protest high-cost of diesel oil

By Gillian Flynn, Associated Press, 2/9/00

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- About 60 trucks circled the Statehouse today to protest the skyrocketing price of diesel oil.

Drivers from Massachusetts, Rhode Island and other states said they organized the demonstration because they felt their plight was overshadowed by homeowners and retailers demanding help with record-high home heating oil costs.

"Nobody else is fighting for us so we have to fight for ourselves, " said Ron Simoes, owner of Simoes Trucks of Westport, Mass. "Fuel's gone sky high and we can't operate anymore."

Simoes said prices rose by about $1 in the last two weeks and he feels there is no reasonable explanation for the dramatic increase.

The truckers are demanding state officials find out what's behind the trend and find a way prices can return to normal.

Kevin Rabbitt of Rabbitt Trucking in Rehoboth, Mass., said it was easy to overlook the issue because, unlike the nationwide energy crisis in the 1970s, the diesel price problem was regional. "It's localized and it's killing us," he said.

New Jersey truck driver Alfonse Farece said the cost of traveling roundtrip from his state to Rhode Island has doubled in recent weeks to $180.

"This isn't a little thing," Farece said.

The truckers plan to meet up with 30 more trucks to take their protest to Government Center in Boston this afternoon.

Kenneth Payne, a policy adviser to Rhode Island Senate Majority Leader Paul Kelly, spoke with the drivers as he walked into the Statehouse for work.

He said he understood New England businesses depend on trucks and promised to listen to their concerns.

Aides to Gov. Lincoln Almond met with representatives of the group inside the Statehouse this morning.

http://www.boston.com/news/daily/09/oil_protests.htm

-- Carl Jenkins (Somewherepress@aol.com), February 09, 2000

Answers

Well,this will give a Lot of unscrupulous,unregulated and unsupervised Racketeers a good Excuse to jack up their Prices.The Question is:When the Fuel Prices fall,will the Prices of Goods follow,or will it be like Coffee Prices,that never were lowered,after the bad Harvest??

-- Soaked again (Who@why.where), February 09, 2000.

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